Chapter 16 of Little Women is here in full — 408 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XVI
Chapter 16 of Little Women is here in full — 408 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“So she is. Dear heart, how fast you do grow up,” returned her mother with a sigh and a smile. “Can’t be helped, Marmee, so you must resign yourself to all sorts of worries, and let your birds hop out of the nest, one by one. I promise never to hop very far, if that is any comfort to you.” “It’s a great comfort, Jo.
Chapter 16 of Little Women is here in full — 408 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/81 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5
These definitions explain words found in the current reading and keep every example grounded in its original sentence.
Oxford-style entry order: headword, part of speech, US IPA, concise definition, contextual example, and audio.
pass into a condition gradually, take on a specific property or attribute; become
From this reading “Dear heart, how fast you do grow up,” returned her mother with a sigh and a smile.”
past form of “help” — give help or assistance; be of service
From this reading ““Can’t be helped, Marmee, so you must resign yourself to all sorts of worries, and let your birds hop out of the nest, one by one.”
jump lightly
From this reading ““Can’t be helped, Marmee, so you must resign yourself to all sorts of worries, and let your birds hop out of the nest, one by one.”
a structure in which animals lay eggs or give birth to their young
From this reading ““Can’t be helped, Marmee, so you must resign yourself to all sorts of worries, and let your birds hop out of the nest, one by one.”
leave (a job, post, or position) voluntarily
From this reading ““Can’t be helped, Marmee, so you must resign yourself to all sorts of worries, and let your birds hop out of the nest, one by one.”
heave or utter a sigh; breathe deeply and heavily
From this reading “Dear heart, how fast you do grow up,” returned her mother with a sigh and a smile.”
plural of “sort” — a category of things distinguished by some common characteristic or quality
From this reading ““Can’t be helped, Marmee, so you must resign yourself to all sorts of worries, and let your birds hop out of the nest, one by one.”
plural of “worry” — something or someone that causes anxiety; a source of unhappiness
From this reading ““Can’t be helped, Marmee, so you must resign yourself to all sorts of worries, and let your birds hop out of the nest, one by one.”
English keeps certain words together, and knowing the pair is worth more than knowing each word alone. Every partnership below was counted across our whole published library, and earns its place by appearing far more often than two unrelated words of the same frequency would.
Shown as this reading writes them, with the form the library counts, what kind of pairing it is, and how often it occurs.
In this reading ““It’s a great comfort, Jo.”
In this reading ““Can’t be helped, Marmee, so you must resign yourself to all sorts of worries, and let your birds hop out of the nest, one by one.”
become an adult
In this reading “Dear heart, how fast you do grow up,” returned her mother with a sigh and a smile.”
get out of quickly
In this reading ““Can’t be helped, Marmee, so you must resign yourself to all sorts of worries, and let your birds hop out of the nest, one by one.”
In this reading “Dear heart, how fast you do grow up,” returned her mother with a sigh and a smile.”
Every word in these five lines is listed here, and every one of them can be played on its own.
Dictionary details are shown only when verified; these are not licensed Oxford entries.
used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading Dear heart, how fast you do grow up,” returned her mother with a sigh and a smile.
(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class
From this reading “Can’t be helped, Marmee, so you must resign yourself to all sorts of worries, and let your birds hop out of the nest, one by one.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Dear heart, how fast you do grow up,” returned her mother with a sigh and a smile.
one or some or every or all without specification
From this reading I promise never to hop very far, if that is any comfort to you.”
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading “Can’t be helped, Marmee, so you must resign yourself to all sorts of worries, and let your birds hop out of the nest, one by one.
plural of “bird” — warm-blooded egg-laying vertebrates characterized by feathers and forelimbs modified as wings
From this reading “Can’t be helped, Marmee, so you must resign yourself to all sorts of worries, and let your birds hop out of the nest, one by one.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading “Can’t be helped, Marmee, so you must resign yourself to all sorts of worries, and let your birds hop out of the nest, one by one.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Can’t be helped, Marmee, so you must resign yourself to all sorts of worries, and let your birds hop out of the nest, one by one.
a state of being relaxed and feeling no pain
From this reading I promise never to hop very far, if that is any comfort to you.”
dearly loved
From this reading Dear heart, how fast you do grow up,” returned her mother with a sigh and a smile.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading Dear heart, how fast you do grow up,” returned her mother with a sigh and a smile.
to a considerable degree; very much
From this reading I promise never to hop very far, if that is any comfort to you.”
quickly or rapidly (often used as a combining form)
From this reading Dear heart, how fast you do grow up,” returned her mother with a sigh and a smile.
relatively large in size or number or extent; larger than others of its kind
From this reading “It’s a great comfort, Jo.
pass into a condition gradually, take on a specific property or attribute; become
From this reading Dear heart, how fast you do grow up,” returned her mother with a sigh and a smile.
the locus of feelings and intuitions
From this reading Dear heart, how fast you do grow up,” returned her mother with a sigh and a smile.
past form of “help” — give help or assistance; be of service
From this reading “Can’t be helped, Marmee, so you must resign yourself to all sorts of worries, and let your birds hop out of the nest, one by one.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading Dear heart, how fast you do grow up,” returned her mother with a sigh and a smile.
jump lightly
From this reading “Can’t be helped, Marmee, so you must resign yourself to all sorts of worries, and let your birds hop out of the nest, one by one.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Dear heart, how fast you do grow up,” returned her mother with a sigh and a smile.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I promise never to hop very far, if that is any comfort to you.”
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading I promise never to hop very far, if that is any comfort to you.”
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading “So she is.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “It’s a great comfort, Jo.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “It’s a great comfort, Jo.
used to make a suggestion or a command including the speaker
From this reading “Can’t be helped, Marmee, so you must resign yourself to all sorts of worries, and let your birds hop out of the nest, one by one.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Can’t be helped, Marmee, so you must resign yourself to all sorts of worries, and let your birds hop out of the nest, one by one.
a woman who has given birth to a child (also used as a term of address to your mother)
From this reading Dear heart, how fast you do grow up,” returned her mother with a sigh and a smile.
used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true
From this reading “Can’t be helped, Marmee, so you must resign yourself to all sorts of worries, and let your birds hop out of the nest, one by one.
a structure in which animals lay eggs or give birth to their young
From this reading “Can’t be helped, Marmee, so you must resign yourself to all sorts of worries, and let your birds hop out of the nest, one by one.
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading I promise never to hop very far, if that is any comfort to you.”
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading “Can’t be helped, Marmee, so you must resign yourself to all sorts of worries, and let your birds hop out of the nest, one by one.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading “Can’t be helped, Marmee, so you must resign yourself to all sorts of worries, and let your birds hop out of the nest, one by one.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading “Can’t be helped, Marmee, so you must resign yourself to all sorts of worries, and let your birds hop out of the nest, one by one.
make a promise or commitment
From this reading I promise never to hop very far, if that is any comfort to you.”
leave (a job, post, or position) voluntarily
From this reading “Can’t be helped, Marmee, so you must resign yourself to all sorts of worries, and let your birds hop out of the nest, one by one.
past form of “return” — go or come back to place, condition, or activity where one has been before
From this reading Dear heart, how fast you do grow up,” returned her mother with a sigh and a smile.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “So she is.
heave or utter a sigh; breathe deeply and heavily
From this reading Dear heart, how fast you do grow up,” returned her mother with a sigh and a smile.
change one's facial expression by spreading the lips, often to signal pleasure
From this reading Dear heart, how fast you do grow up,” returned her mother with a sigh and a smile.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading “So she is.
plural of “sort” — a category of things distinguished by some common characteristic or quality
From this reading “Can’t be helped, Marmee, so you must resign yourself to all sorts of worries, and let your birds hop out of the nest, one by one.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading I promise never to hop very far, if that is any comfort to you.”
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading “Can’t be helped, Marmee, so you must resign yourself to all sorts of worries, and let your birds hop out of the nest, one by one.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading “Can’t be helped, Marmee, so you must resign yourself to all sorts of worries, and let your birds hop out of the nest, one by one.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading Dear heart, how fast you do grow up,” returned her mother with a sigh and a smile.
precisely as stated
From this reading I promise never to hop very far, if that is any comfort to you.”
in the company of; together with
From this reading Dear heart, how fast you do grow up,” returned her mother with a sigh and a smile.
plural of “worry” — something or someone that causes anxiety; a source of unhappiness
From this reading “Can’t be helped, Marmee, so you must resign yourself to all sorts of worries, and let your birds hop out of the nest, one by one.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading Dear heart, how fast you do grow up,” returned her mother with a sigh and a smile.
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “Can’t be helped, Marmee, so you must resign yourself to all sorts of worries, and let your birds hop out of the nest, one by one.
used when the person spoken to is also the object of the action
From this reading “Can’t be helped, Marmee, so you must resign yourself to all sorts of worries, and let your birds hop out of the nest, one by one.
Chapter 16 of Little Women by Louisa May Alcott holds 408 sentences, grouped into 82 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the source edition, unabridged, and the chapter records which sentences cover which part of the work so that nothing is dropped. Every word can be tapped for its pronunciation and dictionary entry.
Chapter 16 holds 408 sentences of Little Women, unabridged, divided into 82 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 16 of Little Women by Louisa May Alcott exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 408 sentences, grouped into 82 sections of at most 5 sentences so that a reader can take the chapter in steady, finishable pieces. The chapter also stores a coverage record mapping every one of its sentences to a part of the work, which is how the edition demonstrates that no line was dropped.
Work through the 82 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 82 sections in this chapter is short enough to read once, hear once, and then re-read with the vocabulary in view. Tapping a word plays it alone and opens its dictionary entry with IPA, part of speech and meaning, so the reader is never forced to guess a pronunciation from spelling. Working section by section keeps a long chapter from becoming an undifferentiated wall of text, which is the usual reason a reader abandons a work of this period.
Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 16 can be played aloud in United States English.
Audio covers the whole chapter: any sentence can be played, and any single word within it can be played on its own. The voice uses United States English. For a work of this period that matters, because spelling is an unreliable guide to pronunciation for vocabulary that has fallen out of daily use, and a learner who guesses wrong tends to keep the error. Hearing the word in its own sentence, and then alone, settles it.
Common questions about reading Little Women by Louisa May Alcott on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 0 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #? are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #?, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 5 minutes of reading across 0 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Little Women section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 0 chapters of Little Women to begin.
Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.
Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.
Words and structures a reader meets early in Little Women, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
